What Goes Around Comes Back Around: The Beginning
by VictorAmbrose
Summary: Victor and Rose are two siblings that witnessed the death of their mother... but it was no ordinary death. It was unnatural... almost Supernatural... and now they want revenge...
1. From the End to the Beginning

**Title:** What Goes Around Comes Back Around: The Beginning (Not the Justin Timberlake Song.)

**Genre:** Supernatural/Full Metal Alchemist/Broken Sky Crossovers

_**Note:**_ For originalities sake, I do not wish to use the main characters from any of the crossover sources. Instead I will be using concepts and plot ideas from each of the sources. Not the typical fan fiction, I agree, but I wanted to do something a little different.  
(For those who don't know the book series Broken Sky, you can have a brief overview of it on en. wikipedia .org/wiki/Broken_Sky)

**Disclaimer:** Some parts of the story, as you will find out, will intersect with some of the plot from the original shows. Note that I do not take credit for any intersections. My only creations are my characters Victor, Rose, and Rayven, and any other character that I may add in the future. THAT IS ALL. **I REPEAT**, I do not take **ANY** credit for any parts of my story that have a direct intersection or coincidences with the actual stories that are being used in this story.

* * *

_**Part One: From the End to the Beginning (Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

As I stared at the barrel of a gun from the wrong end while on the floor, I started to remember all that had happened to get me here… to the moments before my death… About to be shot down by my best friend and sister…

It all started on that day…

"Hey Victor, Come on! Catch Me If You Can!"

"Wait till I get my hands on your Rose!" Even as a seventeen year old who has been through hell in a hand basket, she still knew how to act like a child and piss me off… but she was my blood, and because of that, I knew that we loved each other… Finally reaching her, I tackled her down on the soft carpet floor and straddled her, pinning her down with my weight and arm. "Now… are we going to behave and give me back my arm or not?"

"Pfft… taking the fun out of everything… here…" She handed me the mechanical arm that was made for me since I lost my own arm when I was out hunting. I took the arm with my good arm and put the arm back in the joint, yelling when the locking mechanism connected my nerve endings to the wire substitutes of the arm.

"SON OF A BITCH! GAH!" It never seemed to dull… the pain… It always stung me like this… The arm had its pros and cons, but at this point, the only con that was visible was the fact that it caused me pain to the point that I actually dropped to my knees and swore like a sailor as my shoulder burned hotter than the time me accidentally put my hand on the stove when I was six. "Please… Don't take my arm again… It's bad enough that I have to go through with this every time I have to get this arm tuned up and fixed… God damn, Rayven is going to kill me if something happens to this arm…."

"Lighten up you big baby…" I looked towards my sister. Beautiful as Aphrodite herself, Rose stood at a height of five-seven, weighing at about a hundred and eighteen pounds, light brown hair that she tends to accent with a maroon red color, and hazel-brown eyes that looked like they could look deep within a person's soul…

I could have laughed at that moment if it wasn't for the fact my arm was killing me. "Lighten up? Don't you remember what he did to you when he found out what happened to the LAST ARM? Yeah… he almost ripped you a new one when Jack told him that you used as a baseball bat on our last hunting trip."

At that moment, I noticed Rose stiffen at the memory. Oh yeah… Rayven was that bad… "Fine… Point Made… Just… don't bring that up again."

"THEN STOP STEALING MY ARM WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT! Sheesh… How many times do I have to say it?"

All of a sudden a knock came at the door. And our whole world was going to turn a complete One-Eighty. Rose and I were inside when it happened… We heard the door open and our mother staring at the person who knocked. She was scared, shocked, and frightened… only saying one thing…

"You."

She started to step backwards, reaching for the nearest table, not quite sure why, but something happened at that moment that totally took everyone off guard… even me. I saw my mother fly up to the ceiling, hitting it hard and sticking to it as if gravity reversed itself just for her and she was now laying on the ceiling as if it was the floor.

"MOM!" We both yelled out, running towards her, but stopped midway as we saw the person walking in… and he didn't feel right.

"Well Well Well, what have we here? Victor and Rose was it? I've heard such great things about you… just not from your mother… I haven't seen her in…" He stopped to think about something, then looking up towards our mother, "How long has it been Abigail? Twenty years? Oh wait… that's right… It has been twenty years made me that promise… And now I've come to collect on that promise…"

"I swear to God and whatever else is up there, you lay one hand on my children, and I will hunt you down and kill you myself Adramelech!"

"No actually… You won't. You broke our contract Abigail, and because of that, you won't have the chance to kill me… Because I'll kill you and your precious children." And with a flick of his wrist, I saw my mother ripped in half, and it rained her blood.

Rose screamed and I snapped out of whatever trance I was stuck in, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the back door, but as I turned around, the man was there.

"Victor… that's not very nice of you. As the man of the house, you should treat your guests with a greeting and invite them for a drink and a seat… Pity… I thought you had more manners than that whore on the ceiling…"

Rose slapped the man in the face and yelled at him. "OUR MOTHER WAS NOT A WHORE YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

The man didn't flinch at the slap, but what he did do was backhand Rose, sending her flying. I looked towards her to see if she was okay, and then looked back, and saw his eyes were silver… almost mercurial… Both eyes were COMPLETELY mercurial. I started to take a couple of steps back, but something kept me planted firmly into the ground. At that moment, I thought I was going to die, but I didn't… Something happened that I never expected to happen… He started to scream and yell, holding his head as if his head was going to explode. And then I heard it… Rose's Voice… only she was speaking in a tongue I have never heard before.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."

At the end of the sentence, the man just vanished from the house, and Rose collapsed on the floor. I ran to her as fast as I could. "ROSE!" When I reached her, I shook her, putting my head against her chest to make sure she was alive. A heart beat put my mind at ease, but only slightly. I picked her up so that she was on my back like a piggy back ride, and started walking to the only person I could think of at that moment… Rayven…


	2. Awakening And Falling Back

_**Part One: Awakening And Falling Back (Through the Eyes of Rose)**_

"Rose… Rose… Come On… Please Wake Up…"

My eyes started to flutter open, and as soon as they focused in on the source of the sound, I jumped out of whatever was keeping me warm. "VICTOR! LOOK OUT!"

All of a sudden, I felt strong, yet caring arms wrap around me. I turn my head and I see the soft brown hair that I knew all my life. I hugged my brother back knowing that he was okay. I started to sob as my arms tightened around him. I could feel the love and care he had towards me through his gentle hold. "Shhhhh. It's going to be okay Rose. I'm here for you" That's all he said, and I believed him…

"Hey, the sleeping beauty is up! Rise and shine sleepy head!"

I opened my eyes toward the voice. A tall man about Six-Three with auburn hair tied into a pony tail was standing there holding a cup of water and an aspirin for me. On deeper inspection, you would notice that the man's other prominent features, such as his golden eyes, his almost perfect body and face, and the scars that seemed to creep from under the sleeves of his shirt. I reached out and took the water and aspirin after breaking the hug from my brother. "Thanks Rayven. I guess I owe you one."

"Don't sweat it. You two are like my own children, and that's to say the least seeing as I'm practically the one that took care of you when no one else was around. That and I am your teacher after all."

Oh the horrors of having your families automail expert be the same person who taught you the ways of hunting and fighting… Yes… The horrors. Our dad worried about us so much that he asked Rayven to be our self defense teacher. The crazy thing is, we learned just more than self defense. Hell, I knew things that a girl my age should never know. I knew how to lock pick, hack, put a gun together and just as easily take it apart, and more. And through it all, Rayven was a beast, but Rayven had his good side too. It was just hard to see it when you were us. I wasn't about to lick a gifted horse in the mouth. I was going to take the good Rayven rather than the Rayven who basically went all "I'm going to kill you three times over before Sunday" the time I messed with Victors Arm.

"Anyway, I'm going into town to buy something to eat, anyone want something?"

"If you happen to run into a Subway, mind getting me a foot long Subway Club on Italian with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, jalapeños, sweet onion sauce, and honey mustard." Typical Victor… but it made me smile to see him trying to be himself regardless of what happened.

"Um… A small salad… Preferably a Chicken Caesar Salad with extra Sauce."

"Just a salad? Rose, seriously? I've known you longer than that for you to JUST eat a salad. Tell you what, I'll get you a Salad and I'll see if I can find a good soup place and bring you some Chicken Noodle Soup. Sound good?"

I nodded and began to lie back on the soft mattress, draping my arm over my eyes. With that, I heard Rayven start walking towards the door, followed by the closing of the door. So much has happened to them in the past couple of years, but nothing THIS intense. "Vic, what the hell happened back there? What the hell did we just see?"

"I don't know Rose, but I want to know is what did you do to that guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're telling me you don't remember speaking gibberish and having the guy just vanish like that?"

"I don't… The last thing I remember is being slapped and then, lights out."

"Well, truth be told Rose, I don't know what happened. All I do know is we are now orphans living with our Mechanic."

I felt the tears start building up as my eyes started to burn. I couldn't believe it. I lost my mother and father all within the same year, and on top of that, my brother lost his arm and a chunk out of his side due to a hunting accident. This was turning out to be a shitty fucking year.

"Vic, what are we going to do?"

"Well, firstly, we need to get you caught up on what is going on, and then secondly, we need to have Rayven check up what is going on."

"Wait, what? Get Caught Up? On What?"

And that is when I heard the most absurd, crazy, and almost downright asylum insane shit ever… and it was all from the brother that I loved so much. "You're serious? Angels, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, Spirits, Ghosts, and a shit load more are real? And you expect me to believe that…"

"Rose, I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Dad taught me all of this, and it is what we hunted."

"Vic, you can't be serious! Their just stories from myths and religion. There are no such things as Angels, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, Spirits, Ghosts, or whatever else you are trying to sell me."

"On the contrary Rose, they do exist." The new voice sort of shocked me as I looked toward the door to see Rayven walking in with the bag filled with food that seemed to change the scent of the entire house from lubricants and oil to chicken, bread, and broth. "And I happen to know that everything he probably told you is real."

"And how would you know that? Enlighten me oh great Rayven."

And in a blink of an Eye, Rayven was by myide. "I would know that because I'm a Vampire."

I felt my heart jump out of my chest and up my throat, and then, lights out…


	3. Step One

_**Part Two: Step One (**__**Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

"Rose… Rose… Come On… Please Wake Up… Did you really have to scare the SHIT out of her Rayven?"

"Hey, she asked, I answered."

"Great… She just woke up… And don't you think she has had enough to deal with. A dead father, an armless brother, and now a dead mother?"

"Hey, relax Vic. Rose is fine… she just had a small shock and passed out."

"Shove it Rayven. She is my sister and she is the only family I got left. It's in my nature to worry about her.'

"Yeah, worry. Not have a fucking heart attack. She's fine Vic. Go eat your food and I'll call you when she wakes up."

He was right. There was no point in worrying so much that I was going to stop my own heart. I just had to eat something… It was a long day, and one I hoped I would wake up from…

I walked towards the bag of food, and found my subway towards the bottom of the warm bag. It was a simple pleasure, and yet, it was the one thing that I needed right now to take my mind off of what happened. I could taste the meat and feel the burn of the peppers, while the sweet onion sauce coupled with the pickles left a tangy taste after every bite. Bite after bite, I felt my body relax and my mind slowly ease into tranquility. It was nice for a –

"Yo Vic. She's up."

And like the wind, my body snapped into action, getting off the chair and beside the bed as fast as my legs would take me. "Rose, are you okay?"

"Yeah Vic, I'm fine. Relax. Just had the weirdest dream. It was so vivid too… I dreamt that Mom died because something ripped her body in half and that you told me it was a Demon. Then you told me that shit from myths are real and that Rayven is a Vampire. Crazy right?" A nervous laugh escaped her lips as if she was trying to convince herself with the lies that were coming out of her mouth. He hated to be the one to tell her otherwise, but they had no choice.

"Sorry to say it Sis, but that wasn't a dream."

She slapped him on the shoulder a couple of times and looked at him. "I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW THAT! Meanie."

"Well, she still has her spunk."

"Shut Up Rayven." We both said it simultaneously, seriously annoyed and about to kill someone, and his humor was not needed right now…

"Excuse me. Anyway, both of you need to get some rest. I'll spread out the foldable couch for you Vic and bring you a blanket plus pillows for your comfort."

"Thanks…"

He was right… we really did need the rest, and badly. Sadly, I knew it wasn't going to help. This day would haunt us for the rest of our lives… and it would be the death of me…

When Rayven brought the pillow and the blankets, he folded out the couch, and got it ready for me. He sat down on the bed and patted it down to tell me to sit next to him. Now, personally, I don't have a problem with Rayven, but today, I needed my distance away from people who weren't human… but nonetheless, I sat down next to him… just with distance in between us.

"I've been meaning to ask… how did you two make it out of the house alive with a demon in the same house?"

I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I guessed it had something to do with Rose speaking in tongues. Should I tell Rayven? I mean, he was more in tune with the world of Magic and the Supernatural far more than he ever did. I was more into the science of Alchemy and Transmutations, seeing as I was one of the few individuals in the world that had the power to accomplish such a feat. The same could be said for those who can perform magic and other physics and reality bending powers. My sister never showed any promise in either field, but it is sometimes age dependent, and today, February 17, was her birthday… as it was mine. Maybe this was the age at which her powers awakened… Who knew… But that still left me blank at whether I should tell Rayven about what happened…

"I don't know Rayven… I honestly don't know…" And that was the honest truth… I didn't know…

I could see Rayven trying to read my face, but I was telling the truth… or most of it, but it was the truth regardless…

"Okay… But you know you can turn to me for anything… Not just for your arm…"

I nodded. Rayven was my dad's friend… In fact, if it wasn't for him, my dad would be dead and I wouldn't be born. Yeah… he has been good to my family, especially toward my sister and I. He has done nothing to prove that he would be against us in anyway. But as for what happened with Rose, I wasn't sure if it was wise to let that little incident out into the open until I was sure what it was and what happened to my sister.

"Anyway, you need your rest Victor. It's been a long day for you both, so I'll leave you to rest."

"HEY! What about my food? I'm starving!"

I laughed at Roses comment as he heard her stomach growl for the food that seemed to smother us with the delicious scent. "Yeah, I never did finish my sub."

"Fine, but you guys are staying in this room. I want to be able to keep an eye on you. For all I know, Big Bad and Grumpy wasn't done with you two."

I looked back at Rose who tensed at the thought. Rayven meant well by wanting to keep an eye on us, but did he really have to spook Rose out?


	4. Moving On

_**Part Two: Moving On (Through the Eyes of Rose)**_

"Are you sure we should be doing this Vic? I mean, we barely know what we are doing…" It's only been about month since the incident, and Victor is getting really edgy and has been doing all this crazy research that I don't know about, but right now, Victor is about to do something REALLY stupid… I can feel it.

"Who said anything about WE? I'm doing this on my own. I can't lose you too…"

"AND I CAN'T LOSE YOU!" And out of reflex, I felt my hand strike his face… and before I could stop myself, I just kept going. "I have nothing more to live for other than you. You are the only person left in my life, and I can't lose you as well. Don't do this to me Victor. Don't do this to me…" I couldn't hold myself any longer. My tears started to flow, my body started to shake, and my mind was going in places I wish it didn't… I reached out to him and cried on his shoulder… "Please Vic… Please… I can't lose you… I can't… You are all that I have left… Please…"

Victor held me, and he started shushing softly and telling me that everything would be okay. He was trying to calm me down. He wanted to calm me down so that he could get his way. It wasn't going to help. I didn't want to lose him. I didn't, and if he was going to be stubborn, then so would I. I can't lose my brother again. He came back different when he lost his arm, and it made me feel like my brother just died and something else was in him. It scared me, and I don't want something like that to happen to him again. It was a miracle to begin with that Rayven put Victor back together when the bear or whatever it actually was took a chunk out of his side and replaced it with automail parts that could keep it all together. It's scary to see it… and it makes me queasy to see or think about it. And now he was going to do something else that would probably end him being hurt or worse… he might need a new replacement or death. I don't want that.

"Rose, it'll all be okay. I'll be back."

"NO! Either I go with you or you don't go." I wasn't going to back down. I wasn't going to give in. I was dead serious about this. "Don't you dare think you can sneak away from this. I will hunt you down and find you…"

I could see Vic contemplating her words and something in his eyes wanted me to move away and just let him be, but he knew I wouldn't budge. "Fine Rose… but the second you notice anything out of the ordinary or something happens, you run, got it?"

"Fine… I'll compromise." I wanted to make sure my brother would be okay… was that a crime?

* * *

"Water: 35 liters; Carbon: 25 kilograms; Ammonia: 4 liters; Lime: 1.5 kilograms; Phosphorous: 800 grams; Salt: 250 grams; Saltpeter: 100 grams; Sulfur: 80 grams; Fluorine: 7.5 grams; Iron: 5 grams; Silicon: 3 grams; and trace amounts of fifteen other elements. Now I'm ready. All I need right now is a substitute for a soul…" I watched him walk slowly towards a knife, picking it up and slowly sliding it across his palm, creating a small crimson river from the bottom of the first knuckle to the midway of the side of his hand. I cringed at the sight of it, but he had no reaction. His face was stoic. He didn't even cringe when the blade sliced through the skin, nerves, and veins… It scared me…

He stood over the big plate that held all the materials that he mentioned earlier and he let his blood drip on top of the mountain of stuff. He double checked everything and then when he was satisfied he did something that I never seen him before… he preformed magic…

White light surrounded me and it was beautiful… but then something fucked up happened… the brilliant white light turned to a sinister purple and I could have sworn the shadows were dancing… it wasn't normal…

"ROSE! RUN!"

I heard those words and was ready for the door, but as I tried to run, I felt something stop me… it was the shadows… eating away at my leg.

"VIC! HELP!"

I looked towards him, and I could see Victors face change from the cold and senseless bastard that cut his own hand to the brother I once knew and loved, but the only difference now was his eyes… Guilt and Fear have consumed them, and I knew that he wasn't going to be the same.

And then, just as everything suddenly happened, it stopped, and I felt my body just give under all my weight.

"ROSE!!! Hang on Rose. I'll get us help!" Victor was jumpy and jittery. I wanted to say something, but for some reason, I couldn't even open my mouth. Hell, I couldn't even move.

Victor wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up on his back for a piggyback ride… sort of like the good old days when everything was normal and easy…

"RAYVEN!"

Wait… what? How did we make it to Rayvens so fast? I must have been out of it… I felt out of it… and really light headed…

"What is it Vi- HOLY SHIT! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"I don't care what has to happen, can you help her?!"

I wanted to calm them all down and Guys, I'm fine… Really…, but again, I couldn't say or do anything…

Even if I did, I knew Rayven and Victor. They wouldn't listen to me anyway… I need to fix that soon…

"Okay Rose, this is going to pinch a bit…"

Huh? Okay, seriously… I was way too out of it… Rayven came back with his set and a needle… I didn't even realize he left to begin with… And what was… with the needle any… wa…y… Oh look… Clouds… soft, warm, fuzzy clouds… I think I'll just grab one and sleep on it for a while…


	5. My Curse My Demon

_**Part Three: My Curse... My Demon... (Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

"Is she going to be okay?" I was worried about her. The transmutation was a failure and it cost me something worth more than I bargained for… My sister. How could I have been so careless? So selfish? So stupid? I let this happen to her. I am the reason she is now like this. This is all my fault.

"She's going to be fine Victor, but right now I need you to get your head on straight and focus with me." He was right. I wasn't going to help anything or anyone in the state I was in right now, and certainly wasn't going to help Rose. He was right, and I needed to be focused so that he can get the automail leg attached.

Hours later, and surprisingly quick timing for even Rayven, Rose had a brand new temporary leg. It was enough to stop the bleeding and keep her alive. She would be able to walk, but it wouldn't be the same for her. I never left her side that night. I was so scared and worried for her. I couldn't help but blame myself for all of it and I just hated myself so much. I felt so bad for doing this to her. How could I? I was a monster.

"If you are going to sit there and blame yourself all night, you should."

"Oh thanks Rayven. As if I didn't feel bad already."

"What were you thinking Victor? You know that it is forbidden and even ILLEGAL to perform that kind of Alchemy. You didn't even think that the consequences for such an alchemy would be HUGE! Hell, there are people who have suffered far worse than Rose did."

With that, I lost control and grabbed Rayven by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the way. "SHUT UP! Shut up! Shut up!" I couldn't stop saying it.

"Victor, there are people who don't have organs or eyes or even their lives anymore because of such alchemic consequences. Rose got off with just a warning and you got off scot free. I don't know what in God's name you were thinking, but you should have known what you were doing was going to end up badly."

"I WASN'T THINKING RAYVEN! I just wanted to see my mother. I wanted to have our lives back. Rose was so miserable and I could see it on her face…"

"So you do the one thing that could have easily taken you away from her or taken her away from you? Really Victor? You didn't think to weigh out the pros and cons of your actions first?"

"SHUT UP!" I started pounding on his chest, but the hitting got softer and softer and the tension in my body grew more and more as my tears started building up. "I'm so sorry Rose. If I could, I would take it all back. I would. I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" I was talking to a person who wasn't even there…

Slowly, my legs gave out and I was on the floor… and the tears never stopped. "I don't know what to do Rayven… I don't know what to do…"

"You need to rest. So much has happened to you right now Victor that you are going to snap if you don't get some rest. Come on. Go to bed. I'll look after you guys."

He was right. I needed to sleep. I honestly couldn't see straight let alone think straight. I just headed towards the bed… that glorious sight was all I needed to convince the other part of me to go to bed.

* * *

_I was standing in the cold… alone… I screamed for someone… anyone… but I got no response. Where was I? I looked around. It was snowing… but the snow was red… almost a crimson-maroon red… A color I didn't want to see so recently… _

_Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I saw a small light… I turned toward it and saw what appeared to be a small hut or wooden building far off into the distance… It was just out in the middle of nowhere. I started to walk toward it, but it seemed like I was just walking on a conveyer belt… I can see it getting closer, but it was as if I was traveling at half the pace… _

_Finally, I got close enough to see a sign on the small building that was actually an inn called "Last Hope." Regardless of how the inns name seemed more ominous than it did innocuous… I still walked closer… Music was playing and silhouettes dancing… It was a nice and warm atmosphere… I thought why not join them… I walked to the door, turned the handle, took a deep breath… Walked in…_

…

…

_…  
_

…_and found an empty place with nothing but dusty furniture, cobwebs, rats, cockroaches, and bones… It sent a shiver down my spine… I still stood resolved and decided to make the best out of what I had, and I walked around the place hoping to find something like food, water, or some extra clothing to help me stay warm through the cold day… I decided to go upstairs seeing as it would have been the best place to check… But as I got upstairs, something took my attention away from my intended direction…_

…

…

_…  
_

…_and it was a mirror… but what made it stand out wasn't that it was a mirror… but it was as if it was untouched by man and nature… it looked brand new. No fingerprint smudges, dust, or cobwebs… Nothing… Not just that… but the mirror was so oddly designed… It was as if the designer took a YinYang and used the concept of it to separate the mirror… Because part of it was made of some black yet crimson material that was hard, sharp, and had ominous feel to it… and it seemed to portray the texture of bone… in fact, it even seemed to be imbedded with skulls… The other part was smooth, white and pure, bright, calming, and seemed to have a feathery texture to it… I was confused…_

_I took my focus off the frame and then my reflection took me off guard… It was off… It shocked me and I sort of took a step back…_

_My reflection didn't do that… My reflection was different… It looked like me, but with something off about it… Looking deeper at the reflection, I noticed it had one red eye and one blue eye… One arm was nothing but pure bone… The other was tattooed in something tribal… I was intrigued and I started to walk toward it… The reflection just stood there blankly staring at me… I finally touch the mirror and suddenly the bone arm reached out at me grabbing me by the neck… the blue eye and tattoos vanished… the blue eye just became blank white and one black wing emerged from behind him… He just... walked out of the mirror… lifting me off the ground and looking at me with this... spine crawling and blood curdling look… He called me weak and pathetic and threw me against a wall… He reminds me of my failure that just happened only moments ago and how I failed to protect Rose… How I failed as an alchemist… but even more so… as brother and son…_

_I get up, angry as hell, reading myself and we start to fight. I throw the first punch, aiming for his face with my right fist, but he grabs my fist with his left hand and places his right hand on my elbow joint… and just as fast as a snake strikes, he takes a step and goes under my arm, only to emerge behind me with my arm bent behind my back… his breath was cold as ice as it flowed over my skin… His laughter was menacing and it pierced right through whatever resolve I had left that kept me from shivering once more… but I wasn't about to give up… I head butted him, turned toward my right side around to grab one of his right arm and pull him downwards. Once I saw the chance, I head locked him, not letting go of his arm, and using my body as the surface to snap his arm. As fast as I could, I moved my hand that was hold his arm to the top of his head next to his left ear and my mother hand was placed under his chin towards the other side of his face, and with all my might, rotated his head… and there was the sound of broken bones… And the body was limp… I thought I won, so I drop the body and start walking away…_

…

…

_…  
_

…_until I hear laughter… I turn around only to see the body that was on the floor moments ago standing up, with a broken arm and a head facing the other way… He pops his arm back into place, and rotates his head back into its natural position… And then he tells me something that scared me even to this very day… "You can't get rid of me… I'm the price you shall pay for your sins… You have no redemption… No salvation… You are damned… You are cursed… You are forever stuck in this loop of pain… And I am your executioner… Suffer…"_

_He faded away, and I'm stand there scared… I looked around hectically hoping to see him…_

_And then I find the same bone arm that lifted me off the floor popping out of my chest with my heart…_


	6. Adjustment

_**Part Three: Adjustment (Through the Eyes of Rose)**_

I could feel myself slowly waking up and feel my body gain some feeling back… actually it was more like a creeping of my senses back to me… My eyes slowly opened… I tried to call out, but all I could hear was a groan and moan escaping my lips… Why was my body so heavy and unresponsive? What happened to me?

"Rose?"

The familiar voice put me at ease. Rayven… He was there, and he was watching over me… Thank god… I tried to nod, but I wasn't sure if I did that or just twitched…

"Relax Rose. Everything is okay. You might be a bit out of it right now because you've been sedated. Just take it easy. "

Sedated? What is he talking about? Why would I need to be sedated?

Worried about what has happened to me, I carefully tried to sit up… Took a great deal of effort, seeing as the sedative was still weighing my body down… Rayven must have noticed this and used the mechanical bed that I was resting on to put me in a comfortable position so that I was looking at the world around me rather than the dull white ceiling… eventually I regained control of my body enough to do what I needed to do… Find out what the fuck is going on!

"How do you feel?"

"I feel weird… What happened Rayven?"

"You mean you don't remember anything? Oh boy…"

"What now?" I was tired of this passing out and missing parts and pieces of what happened… "Another attack? Another stupid mistake? What?"

"Well, you can say it was a stupid mistake on your brothers part."

"My brother doesn't make mistakes Rayven. He may be human, but I have never known him to make a mistake that cost anyone anything."

"Um, I hate to break it to you Rose, but you're missing a leg."

"No I'm not, and I'm goin…" As those words left my mouth, I decided to pull the blanket off of me, and where I thought to see my two human legs, I saw something similar to my brothers arm and side… What was this? Slowly I moved my hands closer to it until I touched the new extremity… my new leg… It was cold unlike my brothers which was usually warm… but that was because I have been asleep…

I was in shock… How could this have happened?

And then, it hit me like a brick… I remembered everything. It was a bit hazy, but I put the pieces together…

"How long was I out for Rayven?"

"Somewhere between Seven to Ten Hours. The anesthetic kicked in hard and fast. You were out and thank whatever is up there that you weren't awake for the procedure."

"Where's Victor?"

"I had him go to sleep in the other room. He was going crazy by worrying about you. I told him that it was best for him to go to bed because he needed to clear his head and relax. Now, how about we check to see if that leg of yours is in tip top shape. I didn't want to put the cover on it until I was 100% sure it was correct." I watched him go to the foot of the bed moving the rest of the blanket of my metal foot and place his entire hand on it. "Can you wiggle your toes?"

I did as I was told to, and I watched him analyze the mechanics of the foot. "Okay, good… Can you move your entire foot?" Again, I did as I was told. We did a bunch of things, like me bending my knee, moving my leg in various positions, and so much other stuff that I was getting a headache from all the focusing on my leg.

"Great. No adjustments needed. All you need now is the covering for your leg to prevent dust and such to get in and cause you pain. Be back in a second." He got up and walked to the table outside and came back with the casing for my leg. As delicate as I have ever seen anyone deal with anything, he placed the casing on my leg and carefully latched it to my leg. I honestly never saw Rayven act so gentle. Usually with my brother, he just gets it done with, but with me, it was like I was China. _(And no, I didn't mean the country… I meant the porcelain ware people use for tea and such. So shush and let me finish my story.)_

"There we go… now let us get you off of this bed and have you go for a test run on your brand new leg."

I started to cry… I don't know why, but I just broke out into tears. It could have been from the stress. It could have been the death of my mother. It could have been the new leg. It could have been anything and possibly everything just bombarding me repeatedly.

I felt soft and gentle, yet very cold arms wrap around me, allowing my head to rest on a very stiff yet supportive shoulder. "I'm scared Rayven. I'm so scared. What's going on? Why has this happened to me? Why us? How can all of this happen in such a short time? How can all of this happen in just one day?"

"Shhhh. It's okay Rose. Everything will be okay. I promise you."

I couldn't stop… No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop… Eventually, I just clung to Rayven and let all my tears go… Sobs and some screams were heard, even though muffled by Rayvens shoulder. But regardless of it all, his embrace, although physically arctic, was heart warm. His hand on my back and his shoulder for support gave me strength to pull myself together. Without him, I don't think I could have gotten a grip on myself. I let go and stopped sobbing and screaming, but the tears were still there.

Rayven looked at me and there was a soft smile on his face. "Incredible."

"What is?"

"You still look beautiful even after crying."

I laughed softly and grabbed my pillow and playfully hit him with it. "Shut up. You're starting to sound like Victor."

He laughed. "Who do you think taught him."

"Har Har." Regardless, I kept laughing.

"Come on. We still need you on your feet and to take your first step to see if the weight of the leg is too much for you."

I just nodded and slowly placed my feet on the floor. It was weird only feeling the cold floor from only one foot. You don't actually notice these things until you lose it. I decided to not think about it, or the metallic foot and just do what I have been doing for a good eighteen years. It was a bit harder than I anticipated, but I seemed to be getting the hang of…

"NO!"

I knew that voice… "VICTOR!"

Out of instinct, I ran towards my brother's voice, grabbing the nearest object I could find to be ready for anything… Strangely enough, I grabbed a wrench…

"VICTOR!" I ran in the room, and there he was… sweat drenched and scared… scared beyond all measure… staring blankly ahead… I dropped the wrench and walked to him… one hand in front of me…

"Victor…" the name came out like a faint whisper… and a small tear of sorrow and despair flowed down my cheek… I reached him and pulled him in for a hug… His arms wrapped around me, and I thought he was back, but it seemed more of an instinctual reflex than him being there… And then, I did what he has always done for me… I pulled him closer… "Shhhhh… It's going to be okay… It's… going… to be…"

I had to be strong… I couldn't cry… I sniffled once and then continued… "It's going to be okay… I'm here for you… It's all going to be okay…"


	7. Formulation of the First Step

_**Part Four: Formulation of the First Step (Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

"It's going to be okay… I'm here for you… It's all going to be okay… Everything will be alright… Just… Please Victor… Talk to me… Please."

I don't know where I was or what was going on, but the fact I heard those words was enough to put my mind at ease… I found myself in a situation I found myself in often… just reversed… I know that might not make sense to you now, but normally, it would be me who was holding her and telling her everything would be okay, not the other way around… How I even got in this position was a mystery to me… Last thing I remember I was screaming at Rayven, who convinced me to go to bed… and now I'm in my sister's arms, who is telling me that everything will be okay… This was the most fucked up week of my life… NOTHING, and I repeat this with full emphasis, _**NOTHING**_ is making any sense…

"Rose?"

"VICTOR!" I felt the embrace I was in tighten… maybe out of joy or relief… but I could tell whatever was worrying her originally was all gone… "Oh my god! Victor! I was so worried about you!"

"Um… Can I ask why you decided to wake me up from my sleep and telling me everything will be okay?"

The hug broke and she just had her hands on my arms and she was looking me straight in the face. "Wake you up? I was in my bed heavily sedated, being told by Rayven that I just lost my leg, and going through all his dia-something tests…"

"DIAGNOSTIC! DIAGNOSTIC TESTS! HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY SUCH A SIMPLE WORD?"

"Yeah… those tests to make sure it was working properly… and out of nowhere, you scream Bloody Mary… When I came in, I saw you sitting on the bed like you are now, just more like a potato…"

"Huh?"

"Long story short kid, you yelled, she ran in here, found you like a potato, and she was worried…"

"Um… thanks Rayven… that cleared up a lot."

"Hey… we tried to explain it in more than one way… if you don't get it, then you got issues, not us."

"Rayven, leave him alone… I just want to know why I found him the way I did after he screamed the word No really loud, clutching his chest like he was trying to keep his insides inside him…"

Something about that sentence sounded familiar… but it was a little off… "Say that again, just this time, try to be as specific as you possibly can be…"

"Um… O…kay… You screamed the word no really fucking loud… almost like you were scared or in the middle of a losing fight. So I came in here holding a wrench hoping to catch whatever it was that I thought was in here off-guard. Instead, I found you sitting up in your bed, clutching your chest like you were about to lose something, and you were sweating like crazy, but strangely, cold… I don't know what else to tell you other than that…"

It was coming back to me now… but only bits and pieces… I remember the cold… the weird inn… and the fear… but nothing else was coming back to me…

"Is this ringing any bells to you Vic?"

"No Rayven… but whatever it is, I don't think I want to remember it… so how about a nice change of topic like food, and what our next step will be."

"Next Step?" It was kind of funny hearing Rose and Rayven speak simultaneously… the difference in tones and the unison in confusion just had an interesting ring…

"I don't know… I honestly don't feel like hiding out in this house for the rest of my life while some fucked up demon who decided to kill our mother is on the loose out to get us."

"How do you know he will even be on the lookout for you in the first place?"

"He said that he made a deal with our mom and that we were the price for her breaking on that deal…" Rose seemed to get where I was going with this… but the question was, is she willing to join in and back me up?

"Okay... how about filling me in on these small yet VERY **IMPORTANT** details after I fix you guys something to eat."

Honestly, food was sounding so good right now... I felt like I just ran a marathon and was waking up from a fit of a vodka/tequilla mix and an ass kicking... "Okay... but make it fast..."

* * *

"Now that you're fed, care to fill me in on what happened?" Rayven... always quick to the point... sometimes an admirable trait... but right now... I just wanted peace and quiet... some time to rest...

"I only know a name Rayven... other than that, I don't know much other than what happened that day."

"Okay... so what is the name?"

"Adramelech"

"Wait... Adramelech... THE Adramelech?" Rose sort of jumped at the way Rayven was asking this specific question... I was honestly confused as hell as to what he meant by THE Adramelech, but I had a feeling I was about to find out...

"Whatever that means..."

"You don't get it... Adramelech is bad news... VERY BAD news... Worse than the normal trash you deal with Vic. Very little is known about him, but it is said that Adramelech became the President of the Senate of the demons. It is also said that he is also the Chancellor of Hell and supervisor of Satan's wardrobe."

"Wow... all of that just went over my head... and what the hell did he mean by 'you deal with Vic'?"

"Sooner or later, this will all be second nature to you Rose, I promise, and what he meant by it was that I used my skills, along with Dad's knowledge to track, hunt, and either kill or exorcise them... generally speaking... it was the former rather than the latter..."

I saw Rose shift a bit in behavior... She got scared... scared of me... "Vic... you actually didn't kill anyone... did you?"

"I'm sorry Rose... but if I didn't strike when struck, I would be all Automail... The fact I came back with just my side and arm gone is a miracle in comparison to what normally happens to some people up against demons..."

The fear grew as I spoke... Rayven wrapped his arm around Rose and just did a small shh to snap her out of it... "Despite what Vic is telling you Rose, he is still your brother. The same loving and caring brother you always knew and loved... Don't ever forget that..."

What Rayven said was true... I never changed... or I hoped I never did...

"I know... I just never knew my brother was capable of such actions..."

"It wasn't just your brother Rose... Your father and mother were in on it as well..." at that moment, I facepalmed and was on the verge of ripping Rayvens head off... She honestly didn't need to know that Mom was in on it as well... Now Rose is going to go on this huge tangent about how this was the reason Mom died and find some exucse to not make me continue what it is I do and...

"I'm in Vic..."

She will never agree to... say what?

"Come Again?"

"I'm in... Teach me. Show me. Train me."

"Anyone want to clear me in on what it is you two are planning on doing, because, honestly, I don't like the sound of it at all."

"I want to do what Vic does. I want to know what it was my mother and father died doing."

"Rose... this isn't right."

I then saw Rose do something I never expected her to do the second Rayven said those words. She punched him in the face, stradled him, and held a knife to his throat. "Whether it's right nor not isn't the issue now Rayven. I made up my mind and I will follow it through to the bitter end. Don't you DARE try to talk me out of it or I will SERIOUSLY show you a world of hurt!"

"Okay... One. Never, and I mean this, never ever hit me again. Two. Before you go on threatening me... you might want to learn my weaknesses and how it is you can get me to cooperate before you do something stupid as you just did..." And with that, he just put his hand on the upper part of her chest closest to her neck and just moved his wrist away. Rose was on the floor with very little effort and Rayven was already up and holding his butterfly knife.

Rose was a little surprised, but decided not to push Rayven any further. She just got up, dusted herself off, and looked me in the eye... "Where do we start?"


	8. Shine

_**Part Four: Shine (Through the Eyes of Rose)**_

"BEHIND YOU!" I heard those words and out of reflex, I ducked and sweeped my leg around to trip the assailant and catch him while he was off-guard and on the floor. I heard the growl escape from my attackers lips. I straddled him and placed my blade on his neck. "Stop or I will kill you."

"STOP!" Rayven's voice echoed through the room. Man he had a set of lungs on him... It was scary... "Rose, what are you doing?"

"Um... Subduing my attacker?"

"No, you are giving him an opportunity to strike back. Never give him options. Vic. If you will."

I got off Victor so that he can be Rayven's training dummy. "This might hurt Vic." And in a flash, Rayven was on top of Victor, who was on his back. "Don't move!" And the look on Rayven's face was enough to send shivers through anyones spine. If the voice wasn't enough, the dagger was pressed to the point Victor was bleeding, but not much. "See what I did here Rose. I am using my power against him. Blade against the neck and drew blood to show him I mean business and back up the way I present myself. At this point, only a mad man would struggle. Any movement on his part will cut his own neck, and he will only provoke me to do more damage. Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Good. And Victor..."

"Yeah?"

"Go easy on her one more time, and I will beat you to the ground. No holding back. They won't."

"She's just learning Rayven."

"And she'll be dead if she doesn't learn the right way. **DO NOT **go easy on her again!"

Rayven was getting impatient. We've been at this excersise for days and I'm still struggling with the basics of attacking and subduing... What makes it worse is that I'm going to have to start learning how to kill, and I honestly don't want to feel the remorse or grief of killing another being... even if that person is being possessed. There has to be away to fight and not kill the person being possessed.

"ROSE! HEAD IN THE GAME!"

"Right!"

Victor came at me full force. He was holding back... but not anymore. It was scary how vicious my brother could be... it made me wonder what he had to go through to have become so ferocious... and if I had to go through it...  
Head in the game Rose! Head in the game!

The first punch came at me and it was going for my stomach. I would stop it with my arm in the way and pushing it so it could go over my shoulder, and with the force he was coming at me, I could use my shoulder and ram it into his shoulder... but what happened was completely different. His fist turned into a grip and I found myself in a lock where my arm was behind me and his arm was around my neck. I couldn't breath... It was too much...  
And another instant, I felt my leg move forward and my body drop on my other leg. He knocked me down so that he could have more control over my body...  
Loosen your grip Vic...  
Please...  
Please...  
Slowly, the darkness consumed my vision and then... Blank...

* * *

"**ROSE**!" I felt someone shaking me violently! And slowly I opened my eyes, which for some strange reason, focused really fast... but I was still really dizzy and foggy...

"What happened?" I looked around me and all I could see was Rayvens place... practically hit by a tornado, meteor storm, earthquake, and a flash flood all at once. "Oh my god... what happened here?"

"You mean you don't remember a thing?"

"Remember what?"

Both Rayven and Victor looked at each other with worrying glances that it made ME start to worry about what I was missing? How could I miss something like this? I couldn't have been out for THAT long and I know for a fact I am a light sleeper.

And then from the fog of the dizziness, I remembered that I was knocked out... which would explain why I don't remember a thing...

And then it dawned on me... I was standing up... If I was knocked out... wouldn't I be on the floor? What would I be doing standing?

"What happened Victor?"

"If only I knew Rose."

"It's actually very simple Victor. Rose is a magic user... and when you knocked her out, her powers took over and went into defensive mode. Simple as that."

"Magic user? What The Hell?" Both Victor and Rose were practically speaking in unison...

"But how? She's shown no potential to magic since her birth and even after all those tests and psychic readings, we all concluded that she was a regular human, like me?"

"Regular? You can do magic too Victor! So why can't I?"

"I don't do magic Rose. I do alchemy. Alchemy is the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter into something else. Unlike magic, I can't make something from nothing. I have to follow the Law of Equivalent Exchange. In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed. That's the basic principle of Alchemy. And in order to perform alchemy, I need a transmutation circle whi-"

"A what?"

"Transmutation circle."

'Transvestite what?"

"What? NO! Okay... Say it with me... Trans"

"Trans"

"Mu"

"Mu"

"Tation"

"Tation"

"Circle"

"Circle... Trans-mu-tation Circle"

"Good... now back to what I was saying earlier..." Victor gets on the ground and grabs a burnt piece of wood to use as carcol. He starts to draw a circle, a perfect one at that, and inside it where lines and weird shapes. "This is a transmutation circle. The first part, as you can see is the BIG circle on the outside. The circle itself is a conduit which focuses and dictates the flow of power, tapping into the energies that already exist within the earth and matter. It represents the cyclical flow of the world's energies and phenomena and turns that power to manipulable ends. Inside the circle are specific alchemical runes. These runes vary widely based on ancient alchemical studies, texts and experimentation, but correspond to different forms of energy, allowing the energy that is focused within the circle to be released in the most conducive way to the alchemist's desired effect. Understand?"

"Um... No."

"Okay... simply put... without the big circle, lines, symbols, and stuff, I can't do anything."

"OH! Why didn't you say it like that to begin with you big dummy!"

"No idea..."

"HEY! I'M NOT STUPID! Just too tired for a history and science lesson."

"IN ANY CASE..." We both jumped at the sound of Rayven's patience wearing thin at our bickering... (In retrospect, I don't really blame him...) "We have more important things to talk about, like teaching her to control her abilities before she tries to stake me and take your head off again."

"I DID WHAT?" I was shocked at what I heard. I would never do that! Never would I ever hurt someone close to me, especially Rayven and Victor. Rayven is like a father to me... infact, he's the closest thing I have to a father at this point. And Victor is my own flesh and blood... My one and only brother who has been there for me through thick and thin and has supported me in everything, even if I go through with it and deserve an ass kicking... He's the only real family I have left... and I love him... I reached out for Victor and that's when I saw what I've supposedly done... His body was marred by what seemed to be cauterized wounds... as if a whip of fire was lashing against his skin. "Did I do that?" I asked as I touched one of the wounds. He hissed in pain as I touched one that resided on his right shoulder. "Sorry..."

"It's fine... just be gentle."

"Look Rose. That wasn't you. It's like I said earlier, your powers took over when Victor knocked you unconscious and defended your body. Don't beat yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault."

I nodded, but the more I looked at Victor and how his body was probably going to be scared all over because of my powers, the more I wanted to cry and beg or forgiveness.

"Rose, I know this is going to sound insensitive and perverted, but I promise you it's not what it sounds like at all... but I'm going to have to ask you to face your back to me and take off your shirt."

"WHAT?" I heard Victors anger towards that comment along side my confusion.

"What is with you two and hearing problems? I say again, 'I know this is going to sound insensitive and perverted, but I promise you it's not what it sounds like at all.' Am I the only one who remembers that?"

"NO WAY IN HE-"

"Fine Rayven. But I swear to God, if this is a trick to get a peak at me, I'll kill you."

"You guys know me better than that, and I'm appalled that you'd think I'd want that."

I did as I was asked. I faced by back towards him and took of my shirt. I thanked god that today I decided to wear my sports bra. No idea why, but I was thankful for that... Why did it get quiet all of a sudden. I was about to face Rayven and ask him what was wrong, but as I was about to move, he told me not to move. I felt his cold hands on my back and it took every inch of effort not to reflexively smack him upside the head.

"Vic. What's he doing?"

"Honestly... I've never seen anything like it Rose."

"What? You guys are starting to freak me out! What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong Rose... You're perfectly fine..."

I knew my brother was hiding something from me... "I'm perfectly fine, BUT..."

"Except you have things sticking out of your spine."

"What? What is it?"

Vic and Rayven looked at each other. I was loosing MY patience and I honestly didn't like it... "Can anyone PLEASE tell me what's wrong? I don't like being freaked out!

"Rose... Nothing is wrong. This is common in all magic users. It's nothing to be alarmed about. Those things that Vic said were sticking out of your spine are called Spirit Stones." As he was saying that, I felt him lift my bra up. I knew he didn't mean anything by it, but still, I moved away.

"HEY!"

Victor pulled Rayven away from me and placed himself between Rayven and I. It might have been a bit harsh, but I didn't blame him.

"Guys, Relax. I just wanted to see the rest of the stones... I've just never seen that many different colored stones on one magic user."

"You could have asked? And what do you mean by that? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends on how you look at it. In essence, every magic user has these spirit stones that run down their spine. A total of 10 stones, but normally, they have duplicate colors, as reserves when one depletes."

"Depletes?"

"Yes. Think of each stone as a rechargeable battery. Finish one, move on to the next while the one you finished, recharges."

"Um... Okay..."

"In any case, most users have 2-3 different colors. 4 is usually a stretch. There have been only 4 documented cases of users having between 6-9 different colors."

"Okay... How many do I have?"

"11. You have them all plus one I have never seen before..."

"What does that mean Rayven?"

"Nothing Victor. It just means your sister has a natural capacity for all stones, but doesn't have any back ups in case she finishes one stone. The one that confuses me is that 11th color..."

"Does anyone want to explain to me how this happened?"

"We don't know Rose. People who are born with Magic powers are born in families where the powers are transfered through blood. Like hair, eyes, and gender... natural capacity for Magic is passed through DNA. So unlike Alchemy, Magic can not be taught. It's passed down through. Apparently, somewhere along the lines, someone in your family before your mother or father, they were great magicians."

"I'm more worried about that 11th one."

"You and me both Vic."

"WILL BOTH OF YOU STOP FREAKING ME OUT!" I quickly put on my shirt. I hated the way they were talking about me like that. I felt like a freak. It bothered me. I never asked for these stones. Hell, I never asked for any of this to happened! I wanted my brother to have his arm and life back. I wanted my mother and father back. I wanted my leg back. I wanted nothing more than my life back!

"Look. It's been a long day and we all need a break. Rayven, do you think you could postpone training for a day or so." I felt the worry and concern in my brothers voice, and what made it more visible was the way he moved toward me and the way he wrapped an arm around me. Like I was some victim of some serious crisis. I hated that feeling...

I slapped my brothers arm away from me and shrugged away... "WILL BOTH OF YOU STOP! I'M NOT SICK! I'M NOT INJURED. I'M FINE! STOP TREATING ME LIKE I'M WEAK!" I felt the tears trying to rise to the surface and escape, but I held them back. I won't cry! I won't be weak! I will fight! I will be strong! I will do everything I can to protect those I care about! For once... I will show the world that it doesn't need to shield me. For once, I'm going to be it's shield... Right now... It's my time to shine.


	9. Training

_**Part Five: Training (Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

"WILL BOTH OF YOU STOP! I'M NOT SICK! I'M NOT INJURED. I'M FINE! STOP TREATING ME LIKE I'M WEAK!"

I just wanted what was best for her. I wanted nothing but the best for her... But it killed me inside when she shrugged away from me and hit my hand out of the way. "I'm sorry Rose." I stepped back and kept to myself. I was worried about her... She is my sister... The only family I have left.

"Vic, it's not your fault. Rose, calm down. Vic is right. It's been a long day and we are all under a lot of stre..."

"STOP!"

"Rose... Don't mistake my calm with kindness. I don't appreciate your attitude and I'm trying to keep this a small matter before this gets too big that one of us does something we will regret. Vic. Go to the shed outside and continue your training."

"No Rayv..."

"That wasn't a suggestion Victor. Go now. I have to talk to Rose..."

"Whatever you have to say to me Rayven can be said infront of Victor."

"No... it's fine Rose... I'm just glad that you're okay..." I was about to reach out but thought better if I didn't. I didn't want to have her shrug away from me. Once was enough...

I walked to the shed that Rayven had set up as a training place. Faint sounds of gears and motors were present in the background. I turned on the light switch, which illuminated one a table on the to the right of the door. I walked up to the table. As I was walking to the table, I grabbed whatever I could find. Pipes, nails, broken metal pieces, etc. I placed them to the side as I drew the transmutation circle. As I was doing that, I tried to clear my head and contemplate what I would need to do. Slowly, I put all that I had together, then placed my hand on the circle. I closed my eyes and focused on the three steps of Alchemy that I knew by heart:

Understand: Steel: Part Iron and Part Carbon with other chemical components to control the steels strength, hardness, ductility. It was only a question of how much of each I needed.  
Deconstruct: I broke down the items before me into their basic component. The atom.  
Reconstruct: Taking the broken components before me, I reordered the atoms to get the elements I needed, rearranged to get the right amount, and reshaped everything to make it into the item I needed it to be.

The light vanished, and when I opened my eyes, there before me were two pistols and their magazines. He felt the metal with his hand. Heckler & Koch USP Match was inscribed on the grip. I modeled these pistols after my first pistol my dad gave me about a year and a half ago. I placed the magazines in the pistols as I headed back towards the door. There was a control panel with two buttons. Green and Red. There was one on the other side that was identical. Rayven designed this place so it would test your reflexes and your skills as you make your way to the other side. I hit the green light, and that would illuminated a series of lights that dictated the path I had to follow... but instead it illuminated only one. I walked the path, pistols in my hand. I knew Rayven probably changed the route since I last did this exercise. I walked past the first light and the second turned on while the first one shut itself off. Rayven was toying with my mind. I wasn't going to let him win.

I continued to walk as the lights continued to turn on and off as I continued to proceed.

Wait, what was the sound? Sounded like a spring mechanism... Oh SHIT! Quickly I ducked as I saw the shadow of something zip over my head.

That was close... Damn you Rayven. I got up and took only one step when I heard it again. Two more clicks. But from where?

ABOVE? I moved the left half of my body as I put all my weight on my right leg and pivoted out of the way of the falling object... When in Gods name did Rayven start using spring loaded blades? More importantly, how did he get them on the roof? Also... where is the second bla...

The release sounded and I only had a split second to react. What did I do? I pulled a Matrix... only to land on my back.

This was crazy! What happened to the shooting dolls and the flying plastic pellets?

Breath Vic. Get your head in the game. This isn't the time nor place to be panicking. You're in the middle of a huge shed that is rigged to kill you. There is a 99% chance that it's rigged to kill you if you go back to the finish, and you honestly don't like the way that sounds, nor do you like leaving challenge uncompleted.

After getting my head cleared, I reached down to draw another circle, but what I found was something that shocked me... soft sand. Damn, Rayven thought of everything.

Great... This couldn't get any worse... I only have 24 bullets and who knows how much longer I have till this thing is either finished or kills me.

Only one way to find out...

I continued to walk being very careful that I don't run into any more traps. I wouldn't want to be...

WHOA?

As I was walking, something came from behind me and tripped me, and another click rang through the air... but it sounded, different... almost heavier... And that couldn't be good...

I heard release mechanism ring and it was coming straight for me... and I rolled out of the way...

A spear? What are you planning to do Rayven, Kill Me? For the love of... Wait... another click? ANOTHER RELEASE? No... RELEASES?

SHIT SHIT SHIT!

I continued to roll out of the way as about 4 more spears missed me by that much!

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

I got off my stomach and was kneeling, thinking about what I was going to do that didn't involve me standing still, being killed, or walking/running through it without a plan. I put my guns down on the floor and placed my hands together. Think Victor. If only I could somehow illuminate the areas in front of me and somehow determine the pattern that Rayven has so that I can understand what he has planned... then maybe I can make it out of here alive...

But nothing... I couldn't figure out a strategy...

I just had to rely on my skills and luck... This was going to take a while...

I picked up my guns, got up, and continued walking and for a while, nothing popped up. But I wasn't going to be fooled. He was trying to get me to calm down and let my guard down. I wasn't going to. Every step I took, the more my guard was rising.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a chain... as if it was being pulled and dragging something... like a pulley... And that is when I saw it... or more like them...

I was surrounded by the dummies that I was use to... but something about them was different...

I heard a bang and then felt something scrape my arm...

I turned and saw one of the dummies holding a gun... and the simultaneously, they all lifted their arms and aimed their guns at me!

Out of sheer reflex, I let my pistols fall to the ground and ducked, placing my hand on the ground... and then the strangest thing happened... I transmuted with soft sand... and I transmuted something BIG... I transmuted a dome to protect me... a transparent dome... At first I thought it was glass, but when the bullets struck it and didn't leave so much as a scratch, I guessed it had to be stronger than glass and metal... Diamond...

I was stunned... How did I do that? Without a transmutation circle even! What was going on?

I tried it again, but nothing...

I was confused... but I shrugged it off and would figure it out when I finished Rayvens stupid test...

I grabbed the pistols, put them in my pockets, and walked towards the edge of the dome, where I saw an opening...

As I walked out, the light shined to the console... Finally the test was over!

I took one step and then a I heard another click...

Without thinking I jumped toward the console and almost pressed the red button, but I felt something wrap itself around my leg and pull me... Quickly, I turned, pulled out one of my pistols, and shot the rope and started sprinting for the console, hoping that there were no more traps, but I knew better...

Three more clicks went off, and I could hear the ropes shoot toward me... but this time, I was ready, I turned around and started running backwards, pulled out the other pistol, and I shot at the ropes, hitting the metal tips that were flying at me. My back hit the wall, and my hand reached for the console, hitting the red button.

The room was eerily quiet... and suddenly, the room was illuminated fully. I had to cover my eyes to make sure I didn't go blind. After a while, I opened my eyes, and there it was... a room covered with blades, spears, bullet holes and casings, the ropes... and of course, that crystal dome where the dolls just hung there surrounding it.

"Rayven... I am going to fucking KILL YOU!"


	10. Memories and Wounds

_**Part Five: Memories and Wounds (Through the Eyes of Rayven)**_

"RAYVEN! YOU HAD NO RIGHT SENDING HIM AWAY LIKE THAT! NOW HE'S UPSET!"

I kept my calm because I knew Rose wasn't herself, but honestly... I just wanted her to shut up. "He was upset LONG before I told him to leave. You think that he was fine when you slapped his arm away and you shrugged further away from him when all he wanted to do was look out for you and make sure you were okay? How do you think he felt? And if that wasn't obvious enough, you could see it written all over his face when he was leaving... he was about to reach out but thought better if he didn't. He didn't want to have you shrug away from him. Once was enough... That's why he didn't argue and stay."

I saw the anger on Roses face change into deep thought and sadness. "I'm not telling you this to upset you Rose. I'm telling you this because you need to see that both of you are under a great deal of stress and it's getting to your heads. You need to calm down and think before you leap... this applies to both of you."

"Whatever Rayven..." She was hurt but acting like she didn't care or that it didn't affect her... and GOD how I hated that about her! We're suppose to be family... and if not me... then THEY at least should be... They've been through so much and even before all this shit, they were closer than any siblings could ever be! They were always there for one another! And this is what she does to show she is strong and brave? She had a lot to learn...

"Firstly, don't think you can hide things from me Rose. I know it hurt you and that what I said upsets you, so don't act like it doesn't and shrug it off like it was nothing but crap. I've lived a long time and seen a lot. I've been through a lot. Don'..."

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD RAYVEN! YES! I'M UPSET! YES! I'M HURT! BUT WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? SULK? BE DEPRESSED? WHAT?"

"If you let me finish, you would know what I would rather you do. Don't shrug it off but don't cry about it. At least show YOUR FAMILY that it bothers you so we can work through things TOGETHER. And if you don't want to talk about it with me, you might as well talk it over with your brother, who is probably venting a lot of pent up anger and frustration in the training shed."

Rose just looked at me... She was still pissed and angry, with the sadness and hurt as well... but at the same time, I could tell that my words were hitting chords...

"Secondly, we need to talk about your powers. You have to understand, these stones don't just grant you powers out of nothing."

"Are you going to give me the 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility' speech? If so, Spider-Man beat you to it."

"I'm going to give you the 'Be careful with those stones because they will kill you speech.' Almost the same, but so much more interesting."

Rose was scared at what she just heard, and I could see it. She laughed weakly. "That's a joke... Right? They can't really kill me..."

"They can. But they won't kill you because they feel like killing you. They'll kill you in the way a battery operated machine 'dies' when it runs out of juice."

"You lost me."

"And that's what happens when you cut me off in the middle of my explanation."

"Okay... I get it." She puts her hand to her lips and zips it.

"Good... Anyway. Like I was saying. You have to understand, these stones don't just grant you powers out of nothing. They are linked to your life. Use a all stones to the point of them being drained fully, and you will die. Using half of the stones fully will put your body in a state of EXTREME exhaustion. Most people don't make it past that point because they are so weak they just pass out and sleep. Also, toward the start when a magicians stones emerge from under the skin, it is a very painful process for the magician while the stone 'calibrate' themselves to the user."

"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Pain? Calibration? What the fuck is going on?"

"What did.."

"Sorry... Zipping lips once more"

I sighed, but I did have to appreciate her care in the matter... "You can't learn to use the stones to their full potential like that. It's true magic can't be taught, but it still has to be honed like every other skill out there in the world, and thus the stones will need to calibrate themselves to your body as you learn to use them, forever evolving and enhancing to the users body. Not to mention that the recharging process can be EXCRUCIATING if they are fully depleted. That's the bad news. The good news is that with time, the amount of times you can use a stone increases and the time it takes to recharge decreases. That and the pain, just like any other, will dull and feel as painless as a shot from a doctor."

Rose raised her hand. It almost made me laugh. "You don't have to raise your hand. Just don't interrupt me."

"I'll stick to raising my hand as I have HORRIBLE timing when it comes to shit like that."

"As you wish... So what is your question?"

"Actually, I have several. One, is there anyway I can give up the stones? Two, what is each stone for? Three, how long till the pain becomes dull? Four, how do you know all of this?"

That last question struck me far more than Rose could ever know, and it sent me back half of a millennium or so...

* * *

_"July 6th, 1962  
Salem, Massachusetts_

_Dear Journal,  
Today must be a glorious day indeed! Although it did just start, I have a feeling that it will be so, just as it was yesterday. Despite the recent wave of bad news that has spread through out the country as the epidemic known as 'Witch Fever,' I know that there is nothing that can possibly make today take a turn for the worst. Why you may ask? Today is the anniversary of my loves birth! My sweet Elizabeth shall reach the age of nine and twenty. I have it all planned out and nothing is going to stand in my way..."_

_That was the last that I wrote that day. I will never forget that day. A mob decided to ransack my place only to harass me into telling them where she was. Why? Because the accused her of being a witch! I tried to tell them that they were mistaken and that there is no way she could ever be a witch. But like I said before, it was an epidemic, infecting the minds with hysteria, delusions, and paranoia that everyone was a witch. It was getting to be absurd and I wasn't going to give up without a fight! If only they knew that the man they were interrogating was a vampire who has seen empires rise and fall. Oh the horror!_

_And just as I was about to fight... The one thing I prayed never happened did... Elizabeth came..._

_"Paien, is everything alright?"_

_"IT'S THE WITCH! GET HER!"_

_At that moment, if my heart was beating, it would have stopped. They all ambushed her and dragged her out of my place. I was going to let that happen! I couldn't! I threw caution to the wind and let the beast inside me go. The two villagers holding me back never saw it coming. I grabbed the one to my right by the throat and tossed him through my wall while the other I punched him into the opposite wall. _

_"ELIZABETH!"_

_I ran for her. I reached for her, but the more I fought, the more they seemed to fight back. It wasn't that I couldn't get past them. I just didn't want to kill anyone, and that slowed me down. But what happened after that surprised me in ways I never thought I would ever understand. I heard my name from the distance, and it was Elizabeth. She was calling out to me to tell me to stop. And just like I was fighting, she fought back... With her Magic. Using her psychic powers, she pushed them away from her and using the moister in the air, made the ground around her freeze so she could slide toward me. She was a witch... And yes, I knew she was one. She was the one who taught me all that I knew about witches. Her entire family were witches and warlocks. But it was only fair I knew since she knew I was a vampire. That's what she told me when she found out I was a vampire. She knew I was a vampire and she knew that I could become a beast. And she was the only person in this world that knew my real name. _

_"Paien!"_

_She reached out for me, and I for her, only to be separated again. Someone grabbed her as she tried to reach for me and I got smacked across the face with a club. Fucker broke my nose, but still, I wasn't unconscious, just REALLY angry! But it was all for nothing, because by the time I managed to get to my feet and beat the guys surrounding me, they had her already unconscious and tied up. All that was missing was the torch. I screamed for her._

_"ELIZABETH! PLEASE ELIZABETH! WAKE UP!"_

_But was no use... she was far gone into her last sleep. I fought against what seemed like the endless swarm of brainwashed morons... and by the time I reached he she was already being burned on the post she was tied to...  
_

* * *

Flashing back to reality, I decided to leave the last question out of it all.  
"One, no, there isn't." Yeah... I lied through my teeth... Sue Me.  
"Two, aside from the one I don't know of, the other ten are as follows:

Fire is Red  
Water is Blue  
Earth is Brown  
Air is Green  
Electricity is Purple  
Metal is Silver  
Matter is Orange  
Light is White  
Psychic is Clear  
Body is Yellow

I'll explain what they all mean in due time." Because there was NO WAY in HEAVEN, HELL, OR EARTH I would leave her to go out into the world without mastering her powers.  
"And lastly, it all depends on your body and mentality. Work hard and put it in your mind that the pain is nothing, and it'll be sooner than later."

Again, she raised her hand. "Yes Rose?"

"You didn't answer the last question."

"I know. For now take the answer as I just do and be grateful that you have someone in your life to keep you safe."


	11. Pain and Bliss

**__****Part Five: Pain and Bliss (Through the Eyes of Rose)**

Can Rayven get anymore cryptic? What the hell does "I know. For now take the answer as I just do and be grateful that you have someone in your life to keep you safe." mean?

I sighed and just pushed my questions to the back of my mind. Rayven was like a second father to me, and I knew that when he wasn't being direct, it meant to leave the matter alone. Still, it didn't mean I didn't see the pain in his eyes. It was funny... we didn't know anything about Rayvens past and we only saw the tip of the iceberg when it came to Rayven as a person, and yet I would put my my life in his hands. I reached out to him and wrapped my arms gently around his waist and held him. "I'm sorry, and I'm always here if you want to talk." I felt the soft yet extremely cold hands place them softly on my back. Something about his hugs always made me feel better, even though there was an eight inch height difference and he made me feel short and he was as cold as a corpse... I think it's just the fatherly vibe he gave. He usually had a "Fuck Off Vibe" that just deterred people. But when it came to us, he was a father. Yes, a hard ass and sometimes very blunt, but regardless, he was a father that looked out for his kids, and even though he couldn't compare to our real father, he was a better substitute than anyone else. Yes, that may sound a bit heartless calling him a substitute, but I don't mean it in any negative light. I don't see him like that in any way. I see him as my second father, and I trust him with all my heart.

"Whenever you're ready to let go Rose..."

I smacked his shoulder in a joking manner. "Asshole." Yes... a father, but he hated having physical contact with people... He managed to not have it show when it comes to us, but prolonged contact and he just felt awkward. It was the strangest thing... I will never understand him, but I love him all the more.

He shrugged and then moved on. "Anyway, we sho..."

"RAYVEN!" I heard my brothers voice angry as hell and then a loud crash. I jumped and turned to see the door get kicked open. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" Victor was pissed, and when he was pissed and holding guns, you got the fuck away from him. He only took a few steps, leaving a huge gap between them.

"Vic, calm down before you do something you'll regret."

"To hell with regretting! I almost just my life 3 different ways! It was either being perforated by bullets or spears, or getting sliced by retractable blades. I'm surprised that there wasn't a trick wall where they came and squished me like a mosquito!"

"Wait... you mean that didn't work?"

"Rayven! This isn't a time for a joke!"

"Who said I was joking?"

"Son of a bitch!" He aimed the guns at Rayven and pulled the triggers. He emptied the clips into Rayven, and I felt my heart skip beats! And Rayven didn't even blink or flinch or move!

"STOP IT!" As soon as I said that, my body just instinctual reacted, placing my arms to face both Rayven and Victor. The bullets fired at Rayven stopped midair, the guns jerked from Victors hands to the ground, and the bullets in Rayven were coming out and and his body was healing at an extreme rate. I was surprised. I know I was doing all of this, but at the same time, I couldn't believe that this was me... But I wasn't going to let the shock stop me. "Both of you stop being stubborn assholes for a second!"

"I would like to note that I was calm through it all and also that I wasn't cracking a joke with my last statement."

"TO HELL YOU WERE!"

"No actually Victor I wasn't. If you wish to double check my statement, you may refer to the desk on your right, under the folder labeled new plans. And for the record Victor, you came out alive. I knew you would."

Victor was pissed and you could see it in the tick of his head at Rayvens last comment. Never the less, he went to the desk and opened the plans, and saw that he in fact was lucky. There were more parts that didn't operate. He had flame throwers, walls that came together, electric panels, and in fact, there were MULTIPLE pathways... only one was right. And on top of that... most traps were multi-usage, meaning that if he did go back, the traps would reactivate.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED!"

"VIC! RELAX!" I held my arm to him and he was suddenly on his knees. He was being held down on the floor against this own will. I hated to do that to him, but it was the only way to calm him down. But the hand that touched my shoulder suggested that I should leave him be... so I did.

He got up slowly. "Please, never do that again."

"I'm sorry Vic. I just hate seeing you angry."

He rotated his shoulders and neck. "It's fine Rose." He then walked out of the house and vanished.

"Victor!" I tried to reach the door and bring him back, but I felt Rayven hold me back. "What are you doing Rayven? He needs me!"

"He needs space. He'll be back when he is ready."

"To hell with that!" I shrugged his hand away from him and chased after him, and when I found him by the creek we use to play by, I went up to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry Vic. Please forgive me."

"I'm not mad at you Rose. I just needed to clear my head."

"You are a terrible liar."

"Only to you and Rayven."

"I'm still sorry." He reached out and pulled me close to kiss my forehead. I will always cherish the small things we have between each other. They always made me feel safe and always told me that my brother was always there for me.

"I'm so sorry Vic." I gripped him and I felt the tears escape. I don't know what I would do without Victor.

"Shhhh... It's fine..." He broke the hug and smiled at me. "Watch this..."

He clapped his hands together and then placed them on the ground. I was confused at first, but then the light shined, and before I knew, I saw a small glass rose with the stem slightly shorter than usual. "A rose for a Rose. But if you ask me, you're prettier." His small gesture touched me. Even when he was upset, he was always putting me above him always and always knew how to me smile and stop crying. I laughed and took the rose, and put it in my hair.

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful."

"Awwwwwwwwww. How touching..." We heard an unfamiliar voice, and when we turned around we saw a stranger. Victor got up and placed himself between the stranger and I.

"Rose... Go back home."

"Oh, I don't think that will be allowed right now." The man snapped his fingers and out of thin air, four more people appeared and the surrounded us in a semi-circle with the creek behind us. "Right now, you are being invited to meet Adramelech in person. That's a great honor, and you know he doesn't take now for an answer."

I prayed to God and his Angels the moment I heard that demons name. I also prayed that somehow I could help Victor. I knew what he was thinking, and he was preparing himself to attack.

"Oh... and the kids got spunk. I know we were ordered not to kill them, but what do you say guys? Who is up for a sparing match? I know I am."

The others around him cheered in agreement. "Let's break some bones!"

All of a sudden, there was blood in front of me and the man to my right fell to the ground, head rolling away from the body.

"What the fuck?"

Victor sparred no moment. In the confusion, he did the clapping thing again and made his arm have a blade attachment. "ROSE RUN!"

No... not this time... I stood up and decided to fight... my way!

"YOU BITCH!" I turned to see someone running at me and with I focussed whatever power I had to lift him and throw him into the closest demon that was running at Vic.

"ROSE! DUCK!"

As soon as I heard Rayvens voice in the distance, I ducked as fast as I could and felt some liquid spatter on me. I turned around and just like before, the man was headless. I was confused as to how Rayven was doing it seeing as the sun was still up. I was going to have to ask him. But right now, Victor needed me and I had to get my head in the game. And I was making the same mistake that I was making in training. I'm not being serious enough... This is suppose to be my time to shine. I'm the one suppose to be protecting them.

A wave of anger hit me, and with it, I felt a new source of motivation. "TO HELL WITH THIS!" I closed my eyes and focussed all my energy on what was going on. Even though I closed my eyes, I could still sense where they all were, and that helped. I used whatever I could and forced them all to the ground and then made the ground underneath them to swallow them up and have everything submerged except their heads. After I was finished, a wave of pain went through me and fell to my knees, and threw up. So this is what Rayven was talking about.

"Rose... Are you okay?" My brothers voice brought me back to reality.

"I'm fine... Just... deal with them." I was panting and sore.

"RAYVEN! GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

I opened my eyes and looked to where I heard the trees shake. So he was in a tree shooting... what was that?

He threw on his hood and put on his gloves before stepping out into the sun. It threw me off guard, but at that point, I couldn't give a shit... I just wanted out of there and somewhere safe.

"Thank you Rayven."

"Shhh... just rest..."

I nodded and took his advice. I was out like a light...

* * *

For anyone who is like "what the fuck?" about Rayven going into the sun, go on the Supernatural Wiki and you will see that I'm not bullshitting about it.

supernaturalwiki .com ?title=Vampires


	12. Information and Offers

_**Part Six: Information and Offers (Through the Eyes of Victor)**_

I was pissed. I was ANGRY Beyond all measure of belief. Hell, even these words can't fully tell you how pissed off I was.

"So, I have a bone to pick with you three."

"Ha. Good luck making us talk."

"You know what you are buried in?"

"Sand, what of it."

"It must be a first for you to know that some sand, especially the shale type of sand found by bodies of water can contain the chemicals, Sodium and Chlorine. Put them together and you get salt. And you know what salt does to you guys... so lets start over before I get REALLY fucking pissed and start doing things I don't want to do to the poor people you are occupying..." As soon as I said that, I realized something... Why aren't they leaving the bodies? Demons can leave the host body at any point... so why aren't they. "Let's start with an interesting question... Why aren't you guys leaving the bodies. You could easily run and come back another time..."

The guy behind me was about to open his mouth when the other two shushed him.

"It's not that you guys aren't... it's that you guys can't... Oh this is going to be so much fun... So let's play a game I like to call 'Sell Out.' The rules are simple... I'm going to ask you guys a question and I'm going to see who answers first. The winner gets to get out of the torture for one round. The losers... well, you can get the rest. So, lets begin. What does Adramelech what with us?" I waited, but just like I expected, no one said anything... I clapped my hands together and placed my hands on the ground, turning the sand around the three demons to salt.

The screams and cries coming from the men weren't normal... their screams sounded... unnatural.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW! PLEASE!"

I turned the salt back into sand. I was grateful he said those words and was going to talk. I don't think I could stand anymore of that unholy scream, but I wasn't going to show them or tell them that. "Okay... you have ten seconds to tell me what you know. What does Adramelech what with my sister and I?"

"Look, all I know is that he wants you guys because your whore of a mother broke a demon deal, and you don't break a deal with Adramelech."

I kicked the demon so hard in the face that I could have sworn I heard three different cracks. The demon just smiled and spit blood out of his mouth. "Poor Mr. Auditore... You just gave him a broken neck and jaw. How do you feel to have killed an innocent man."

Honestly, I felt like crap, but the anger that I felt was way more powerful than my guilt. "I was going to go easy on you, you bastard, but you are pushing my patience. You can forget your immunity this round" I stepped back from the demon because I didn't want to do anything more to the poor man. He didn't deserve to die like that... and his body deserves to be put to proper rest. I said a small prayer in my mind and apologized to the poor man. I hope somehow he will forgive me. "Question two, what did Adramelech want from my mother. And the next person to call her or my sister a whore, will not make it to round three. Five second... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." I clapped my hands. "0." I was about to touch the ground when I heard one of the guys scream wait.

"Look, as demons, we can't answer the question about the deal. Only demon brokers can answer that question."

"Demon brokers?"

"Crossroads Demons. Fucking Brit..."

"So... you guys are useless to me then..."

"WAIT!"

"Oh... you guys are going to talk now?"

"Wait... Look... We can tell you something... About your sister."

"Don't you even think about opening your mouth! He might not be able to kill us, but you know what Adramelech said about talking about that. I'd rather have my skin burned off repeatedly by salt that suffer at the hands of Adramelech!."

"Then so be it..." I lost all my patience with these demons and I had a feeling that they weren't going to talk any further than that... "Have fun seeing him. And tell him that I am far from amused. I send my regards and if he wants us, he'll have to wait till we're dead."

"That can always be arranged."

I turned around and there was another man... but the voice was very familiar... but what made me know who it was were the eyes... those damn mercurial eyes staring at me, swirling around.

I held my calm. "Oh really? And what are you going to do? Kill me yourself?"

"A fine suggestion but I'd rather have you hear me out."

"To hell with that."

"Again, can be arranged."

I was getting fed up with his nonchalant attitude. I clapped my hands and was ready to force the ground to make a spear, but as I was about to, my body just stopped. I looked up and saw Adramelech holding his hand at me. "Come now child. Do you not have any other tricks up your sleeve, or must you constantly do that over and over?"

"How about you release me and find out."

"Don't push it boy. I'm here with no intention of harming you or your sister... at least not now. I'm here to talk to you."

"I am not interested in anything you have to say or anything you have to offer."

"Yes you do..."

"No... I don't... _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._"

The deeper into the incantation I went, the more I felt his hold over my body loosen. And as soon as I finished it all, all four demons went back to hell. I knew better than to think this was the end I would ever see oh him and his entourage, but next time, I wouldn't be so off guard.

I got up and changed my arm back to it's proper form before I went to go check on Rose. I had a bone to pick with Rayven as well.


	13. All or Nothing

_**Part Five: All or Nothing (Through the Eyes of Rayven)**_

I put Rose back on her bed and slowly headed towards the outer room. I looked around. The bullet casings and the bullets themselves were resting on the floor. It was kind of weird. Rose shouldn't have been able to learn that so fast. From everything he knew about witches, they always said they needed some small amount of guidance to be able to do something like that... especially multitasking with high level skills. That in itself probably drained her stones fast. Would explain why she threw up and passed out, but still, how did she manage to pull off such a feat?

"Rayven!" I turned to the door, to see Victor, furious as hell, and also worried about his sister. "What the hell just happened out there?"

"Vic, calm down. That is normal for a first time user of magic. Her body isn't use to the stress applied by the stones."

"Rayven, I want to know everything about these stones. What they are? What they are made of? How they work? What they do? And can they be removed?"

I sighed. I lied to Rose when I told her that they couldn't be removed, but for good reason. Keeping them and never using them is a better alternative than removing them. Those stones become a part of the body, embedded into the spine to react instantaneously to the user. Removing a stone is almost like removing a vertebra.

"Look Vic. If I had the answers you sought, I would tell you. All I know is they give a person magic and I understand how they operate, but besides that... I don't know anything else. I'm sorry Vic." Yes again, I lied... Sue Me... I didn't want him pulling those things out of Rose. They are supposed to be viewed as a gift, not a curse. "In any case Victor, you have to calm down. You're worry is causing you to not think straight, so let's talk about this later."

Victor wasn't satisfied with that answer. "No Raven. Now seems like very good time. Tell me now."

"Vic... Calm down before you start doing something you will regret."

"Funny... I heard that before..." I saw him reach for his guns

"Vic... Don't do that. I've been very calm and I've been very patient with you. Do not tempt me to ignore the friendship you, your sister, and I have and hurt you."

Vic looked at me as if I was challenging him, and for as long as I have known him, he has never backed away from the challenge. He pulled one of the guns out and aimed it at me.

"Vic. Listen to rea..." Before I could finish my sentence, I felt the bullet go through my shoulder. It hurt a little, but when you are as old as I am, pain is practically a fly you can shoe away. I just rotated my shoulder, trying to see if the bullet went through the bone or not. To my surprise, my shoulder remained somewhat intact. Out of pure instincts, I ripped the gun from his hand, sending it through the floor, and with all the speed and might I had, I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall, grabbing his second pistol and placing it to his temple. "Like I said, I've been very calm with you Vic. I understand you're going through a lot. So, how about we all calm down and grab no more things that can be used to perforate my body, okay?"

Vic although calm on the outside, inside he was afraid I was going to shoot him. He nodded.

"Good..." I put him down on the ground and walked toward my closet. I needed another new shirt. How many fucking times was I going to get shot today? Shit.

After changing my shirt, I went back outside. I found Vic by his sister. The worry was very evident. I walked up to Vic who seemed a lot less angry and less likely to shoot me again. "Vic, she'll be fine. I promise you. I've dealt with witches before. This is normal."

Vic sighed, got up and walked out. He knew his worry was justified, but his reactions as of late have been over the top. He needed to sit down, think for a moment, and just relax. His emotional hurricane was doing more damage than was needed. "Okay Rayven. I'm ready to listen."

"I don't know much Vic, but here is what I know." I grabbed a seat next to him, "You have to understand, these stones don't just grant you powers out of nothing. They are linked to your life. Use all stones to the point of them being drained fully, and you will die. Using half of the stones fully will put your body in a state of EXTREME exhaustion. Most people don't make it past that point because they are so weak they just pass out and sleep. Also, toward the start when a magicians stones emerge from under the skin, it is a very painful process for the magician while the stone 'calibrate' themselves to the user." At this point, Vic was taking mental notes. He didn't want a repeat of today, but I have a feeling he might go overboard with it, and if he does, it'll just make things worse. "This doesn't mean that she shouldn't use her magic Vic. If she never uses it, she can never get past the calibration and she'll just build up so much magic that she'll just lose herself to the magic. By lose herself, I mean her mind will just start performing magic randomly without her knowing." So I sort of twisted the truth… but nothing was a lie. She would start calibrating regardless of her using her magic or not, but it does speed up the process if she does use magic. The other bit thought was completely true.

Vic was in his own little world for a while… and then he looked up at me and asked me the one question I knew he'd ask me. "So you don't know to remove them?"

"No Vic, I don't know how."


End file.
